Yes, Depression Does Hurt

A lot of times, when someone hears the word "depression", he or she immediately thinks about a problem in the mind.  Well, that's where it starts, but it certainly does not always end there.

When I first developed symptoms of major depression in 1998, I did not know what was going on.  Whenever I drifted off to sleep at night, I felt a sensation of falling through the bed, so I didn't rest well.  I was dizzy all of the time and felt like I had just stepped off a rollercoaster, and there were times that I had to walk close enough to a wall where I could touch it and keep myself upright so I wouldn't fall down and embarass myself.  (That is also why I haven't gotten on a carnival ride in a while.  Don't wanna go there right now.)  I was hurting in places I never hurt before, and I didn't understand that since I walked on a regular basis.  I thought I had come down with some sort of physical ailment that would progressively get worse.

The first time I heard someone say my symptoms were a sign of depression was when I went to the ER for a reason I can't recall at the moment.  When I told the doctor about all these other strange symptoms, he said that it could be depression.  I thought he was just trying to get me out of there because he couldn't find anything wrong, but now that I have more information, I wish I could go back and thank him for trying to help me.  Unfortunately, I don't even remember his name.

Some of you may have seen the "Depression Hurts" commercials on TV (http://www.depressionhurts.com), and although I appreciate the information, I know that the issue is a lot more complicated than that.  Doctors have to be careful not to dismiss some symptoms as psychosomatic and yet be able to properly treat the patient and respect the fact that what is going on with him or her is real.  I've gotten angry at doctors fr not being able to give me straight answers, but now I see that some couldn't because they just didn't have the answers.   But now, thanks to Discovery Health's CME program, more doctors will know more about the link between depression and pain, the role that serotonin and norepinephrine plays, and a major study that was done about this phenomenon.  If you want to see the podcast or find out when this groundbreaking show airs again, please go to http://discoveryhealthcme.discovery.com/depressionpain/depressionpain.html.  Even if you don't understand all of the medical terms, the personal stories wil inspire you.  Hope you get something out of it.